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Notice of Passing - Bylaw to place a referendum question on the 2018 municipal election ballot

February 13, 2018 –

Take notice that in accordance with subsections 8 (1) (b) and 8.1 (4) and (5) of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, (the Act) the council for The Corporation of the City of Kingston has passed Bylaw 2018-046, regarding the placement of the following question on the 2018 municipal election ballot:

Are you in favour of using Ranked Ballot Voting to elect the Mayor and District Councillors in the City of Kingston?Yes. No.

The results of the vote on the question will be "binding" if 50 per cent of eligible electors vote on the question. The number of eligible electors will be determined based on the Voters' List as amended at the close of voting on Oct. 22, 2018.

If The Majority Vote "Yes"

If 50 per cent of eligible electors vote on the question and the majority vote YES, council would be required to:

initiate the process to pass a Ranked Ballot Voting Bylaw by May 1, 2021 in order to use Ranked Ballot Voting in the 2022 municipal election to elect the mayor and district councillors.

follow the process set out in the Municipal Elections Act with respect to Ranked Ballot Elections.

The budget amount for the 2018 municipal election is $750,000. A Ranked Ballot Election would require additional investments in the form of human, technological and financial resources that could conceivably add $220,000 or more (excluding the costs to upgrade the City's IT network and to prepare and test the reporting algorithm) to the cost of the 2022 municipal election.

If The Majority Vote "No"

If 50 per cent of eligible electors vote on the question and the majority vote NO, council would not be able to take any further action with respect to Ranked Ballot Voting for a period of four years after Voting Day. This would mean that the earliest a future Council could implement Ranked Ballot Voting would be for the 2026 municipal election.

Any person or entity may appeal the Bylaw to the Chief Electoral Officer of the Province of Ontario on the grounds that the question does not comply with the following criteria:

The wording of the question must be clear, concise and neutral.

The question must be capable of being answered in the affirmative or the negative and the only permitted answers are "YES" or "NO".

An appeal may be made by filing a notice of appeal with Mr. John Bolognone, city clerk, 216 Ontario St., Kingston, Ontario, K7L 2Z3, or to jbolognone@cityofkingston.ca setting out the objections and the reasons in support of the objections no later than March 1, 2018.

Personal information, as defined in the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) is collected under the authority of the Municipal Act, 2001 and in accordance with MFIPPA. Personal information collected may be used to make a decision on this matter and may form part of meeting agendas or minutes, and therefore may be made available to members of the public at the meetings, through requests, and through the website of The Corporation of the City of Kingston. Questions regarding the collection, use and disclosure of this personal information may be directed to the corporate records and information officer, Blair Johnson, at 613-546-4291 ext. 1316 or bjohnson@cityofkingston.ca.